5 session psychoeducational group, designed to provide equivalent time and attention, that focuses on the importance of maintaining a good diet, exercise, and developing health skills.

Behavioral: Healthy Lifestyle

5 session psychoeducational group, designed to provide equivalent time and attention, that focuses on the importance of maintaining a good diet, exercise, and developing health skills.

Detailed Description:

Incarcerated adolescents represent a group at high risk for health consequences associated with risky sexual behaviors. Condom use is more common with non-main than main sex partners and substance use in conjunction with sexual risk also appears to vary by partner type. The research team will conduct a small randomized trial to pilot test a partner-specific HIV risk reduction intervention for currently or recently incarcerated adolescents who report problematic substance use. Participants will be randomized to a 5 session HIV risk reduction group intervention based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model, or a 5 session healthy lifestyles psychoeducation intervention, and then reassessed 3 months after their access to the general community is reinstated. The main hypothesis is that participants in the HIV risk reduction intervention condition will have lower levels of sex-related HIV risk behavior and of substance use in conjunction with sexual risk, relative to those in a healthy lifestyles psychoeducation intervention.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

15 Years to 18 Years (Child, Adult)

Genders Eligible for Study:

Both

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

English-speaking ability

unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse at least once in the 6 months prior to incarceration or placement

marijuana use disorders, other non-injection drug use disorders, or substance use by a sexual partner during a sexual episode in the six months prior to incarceration or placement

sentence or placement length between 2 and 12 months

must plan to remain in the area for the 6 months following their release from the facility

must be willing to provide two pieces of contact information for follow-up

Exclusion Criteria:

signs of psychosis (assessed through clinical assessment)

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00831883